Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Inside the season at Marie Reed Part VI: Panther boys complete undefeated season, look forward to next competition

Thisfall,DC SCORES intern Mir’ed Asfour is following the boys and girls teams atMarie Reed Elementary School, the flagship school of our program. Checkback each week forposts highlighting the students and coaches at Reed;detailing the successes and struggles of the season; and placing in thespotlight everything that goes on behind the scenes during a DC SCORES soccer season.See photos from the season on Flickr. ---------------------------------------- Written by Mir’ed AsfourDC SCORES InternAnd that’s a wrap, folks. Marie Reed and every other DC SCORES elementary school team has finished the seven-week season of games; however, practices continue through the end of the month. For the Marie Reed boys team, this means a couple more weeks to hone their skills and strengthen a chemistry that helped result in an undefeated campaign. At DC SCORES, winning games is far from the most important thing; for the Reed boys, rather, it was a byproduct of them coming together as a group. This season, I witnessed the evolution of a team. Marie Reed’s boys, with Coach Lenaghan at the helm, transformed from a group with potential into an efficient, high-powered team that could not be stopped. During the season, the boys mastered the art of the throw-in; they became a team that communicated well; they acquired ball control skills; and they won. They won, and then they won some more.Walking to practice last Wednesday, it was clear fall was winding down. It was chilly, with temperatures in the 40s. Practice was canceled for the girls, and the boys moved inside for some fun. Although the season is over, there is plenty still to work on — after all, the competitive spring season and the City Cup beckons. The boys were playing a modified version of capture the flag. Each boy had a soccer penny tucked into their waistband or pocket, and the goal was to run around avoiding the other boys, while at the same time attempting to pull out their flags. The game was a simulation of man-marking on the soccer field, where it’s imperative for players to mark a man during situations in front of their goal. After several rounds of the game, Coach Lenaghan lined up the team in three rows. The next drill involved a boy in each row running down with each other, passing the ball at least three times before shooting. This drill was intensified after Lenaghan decided to add a defender to the mix. During the drill, the players showed the culmination of their skills as they beautifully passed the ball between each other, finding the open space, avoiding the defender, and eventually putting the ball in the net.The practice was brief. Marie Reed has no school to look forward to playing until next season. The players were taken aback by the how quickly the season ended, but there was a sense of pride amongs them. “I’m feeling sad that soccer is coming to an end. ... I’m sad because I won’t get to play soccer with other schools and just not being able to play,” said fifth-grader Elias B. “The season has gone pretty well for us. We won all our games. We won all our games at Fall Frenzy.” Elias went over the highs and lows of the season, mentioning all the memories he won’t forget anytime soon. “My favorite memory was being able to be at all our games, trying to work the best that I can, and you know, just hanging out with my guys,” he said. “My least favorite moment was at Fall Frenzy when I was goalie and they scored on me.” With the soccer season over, all the attention has turned toward poetry and the upcoming Poetry Slam! Nov. 28.“I’m looking forward to poetry and the Poetry Slam!,” Elias said. “Our coach Miss Silva has been working really hard with us, so I just hope we get that first-place trophy.”The girls and boys both practice until the end of the month before the season is officially over. Stay tuned to get more insights from the season and comments on how the year went for certain individuals.